Pc keyboard to scope

[JoPo]

Hi..

I'd like to know if scope or not scope app would be able to take pc keyboard information and translate it into midi.
For example : the sound volume of the pc keyboard assign to any scope knob ; or the play / stop button of the pc keyboard to play / stop of your sequencer.

I found this :
http://www.bome.com/products/miditranslator

But it seems a bit heavy for doing just I'd like.

Merci...

[siriusbliss]

Bome works, but it can be clunky.

I don't know of any alternatives, sorry.

Greg

[JoPo]

Maybe that I should post this thread in device wish section...

Is it possible to make such a Scope device : something wich take pc keyboard special buttons (like play/ stop or vol+ - vol-) and convert it into midi ?
That would allow to let play the sequencer thanks to the pc keyboard whatever is the active window...
I'd like to start the sequencer with a pc keyboard shortcut when I'm in Scope window (or in any other window) : moving the mouse to the sequencer remote hurts me in the arm, indeed.

[next to nothing]

This is not exactly what you want, but you can make a modular remote-control, so you have a patch to start/stop (or whatever you want) within the scope enviroment. I have only used this with Abelton Live and it is pretty helpful.

[petal]

You could build your own patch in PureData fairly easy and make it do exactly what you describe there.

Puredata is free and it is very powerful for all kinds of weird and fantastic stuff: www.puredata.org

[siriusbliss]

Actually, I forgot about VMPK
http://vmpk.sourceforge.net/

It may work, but you may also still need to use MIDIox for routing internally into Scope MIDI input port.

Greg

[JoPo]

Yes, I know with modular you can make midi devices, but it doesn't respond to pc keyboard.. And the sequencer remote works very fine for me with cubase ; I allready made my own setup.

I went to pure data. It seems a bit complicated for doing just i'd like to. If I need one hard working week and learn a computer coding, I'll continue to hurt my arm...

The sourceforge turning the pc keyboard for midi is going to take all the keyboard buzy, I'd like to use only the special buttons such as play/stop music player, not the traditionnal keys.

I know... I have special wishes, hard to accomplish... But would not my wish be usefull ?

Mmm... Yes, I believe so...

[next to nothing]

http://www.korg.co.uk/products/software ... _nano2.php

maybe you'd be happier with one of these

[JoPo]

Well.... I'm soOO sorry to say that I have not enough place even for this nano device. I allready have such a device but it's placed in my back... In front of me, I need to keep space, the pc keyboard takes allready enough.

[spacef]

Is it possible to make such a Scope device : something wich take pc keyboard special buttons (like play/ stop or vol+ - vol-) and convert it into midi ?

any midi device has it by default but only with a few keys (page up/down home/end and all the keys that have functions to play with potis or buttons.

it converts in midi when a midi CC is assigned. (example: potis has midi CC, now when you move the potis with the keyboard, it sends midi).

Not what, i know, you want but that's all you can make inside scope for what i know. More than that requires native programs that are run at windows level, to transform an input devices (keyboard, joystick etc) into midi (or programming new dsp in a dsp coding app, if that's possible).

doing it inside scope is useful only if you want to send midi out of scope (to hardware or to record poti/fader movements in daws).

beleive me, what you want is to complicated considering what you want to achieve (press play with a key that actually has a "play" icon ... i know what you are going thru but nothing seems to be simple in this world, lol...

Now, if you forget about midi (i don't understand what it is for exactly anyway)
what you can do, is take a programmable keyboard (logitech gamer kb or microsft digital media keyboard 3000 (*), where you can change the play/stop keys to send messages like "page up/down" etc. but it removes the function with other programs.
The other solutions is to have a programmable keyboard with empty keys or a button pad, and to program them to send shortcuts to a daw or to scope. I have a couple of those, that i used in daws and scope to make keyboard macros, but not to send midi or do anything midi (except with the Tetra CC editor where the page up/down are better than potis to program osc frequencies, bpm and a couple of other functions).

there is also a software that allows to assign various keys and macros to your pc keyboard (for example, i type / and it sends : Q ctrl+Q , or arrow down + enter etc etc, just like a macro keyboard. But i forgot the name, i desinstalled it long ago (because you need to think to start the app etc, which is just boring - while good keyboard hardware can change profile automatically according to the app active on screen so you don't need to think about anything).


(*) I did reprogram mine to send space bar to control daws, with a nice looking button qith the "play/pause" icons on it, but it wasn't great, was fun 5 minutes, and now i am back to the classic shortcuts that i am used to. For all the other (actually useful) stuff, the logitech g13 is much better (probably the keyboards are also good but expensive and very large, like 60 cm large) and also the belkin n52te but much less responsive than the g13. I use the belckin on the midi keyboard, to control daw when i don't see the screen (15 functions to record midi tracks fast). it is good for the neck not to turn around each time
logitech rules in this area (precision, reactivity, macros etc).

you can have a button to make the macro "create new midi track + double-clic to create an event (*) + select pencil tool", and then all is automatic and you just need to draw a line on your screen for a note to trigger your dsp sequencers
(*) i don't use such macros, but mouse-click simulations are available only in belkin/razer gamepads if i remember well, not logitech.

[JoPo]

I don't really care if it is via midi, indeed. Only because Cubase can receive midi data and assign it to shortcut.

I guess you get the point ! The programmable keyboard would be a good solution.

Can you program any shortcut for any app ? Are they still active even when you are working on another soft ? (Example : I'm on soundiver and I want to start Cubase playing)

Merci, Mehdi le sauveur !

[spacef]

You can input all the keyboard shortcuts of any application (each is called a "profile") and when the app is the selected application on screen, the keyboard automatically changes the profile. I even tested with vst instruments, (it swicth to the vst profile) very useful in NI softs to use a macro "arrow down + enter" to browse and load presets, for example - but now i have those feature on the daw profile, so it doesn't need to swicth (which takes 2 / 3 seconds) and is available on all NI plugins without the need to make a profile).
You can also have several shortcuts in a macro (you can input delays between instructions). As long as you can type it on a alpha numeric keyboard, you can record a macro.
The difference between brands and keyboard is "details" such as "can you launch an app or open a folder", does it support mouse click etc.

I have this beast because it is cheap and i can move it if i want; http://www.logitech.com/fr-fr/gaming/mi ... vices/5123 (joystick to zoom and a ms media kb 3000
but this one is tempting for an "all in one" http://www.logitech.com/fr-fr/gaming/mi ... vices/7246
other wise the chepaest: http://store.razerzone.com/store/razeru ... d.35156900 which has the best programming software, even though sometimes you have to tap the key hard rather than "type". I would advise logitech g13 because it is really made for this if you are right handed, for the joystick which is used a lot all the time in the daw.

[JoPo]

What I really need is to keep cubase shortcuts active even when I'm on another app. Those keyboards are for gamers ... Do they use several app at the same time ?

[spacef]

you must use midi then, it is the only solution. no HID input device will ever do what you want (they input to the active application, not to the other ones as you noticed while using several applications at the same time). i don't really use them for games though so i can't tell about gamers

[irrelevance]

Jopo I know you mentioned space being an issue but have you looked into automap server by novation? You need an automap device but then the server provices a comms layer between the daw and the device. Automap allows you to specify windows/mac keyboard key presses or key combinations and assign this to control/send midi messages in various forms like toggole, momentary , stec etc and define ranges for min max. I'd say that covers everything you need and more but does require you give up a bit more space... Nocturn is as cheap as chips but is incredibly useful.

Hope that helps.

Interesting awnsers so far as well . Always nice to hear how others are resovling these issues which as SpaceF says are never as easy as is first thought in this computer world

[Neutron]

there used to be software called "glovepie" which would convert any controller to MIDI, I am not sure if it is still supported though.

[JoPo]

Excellent ! I took my nocturn back ! I didn't realize it was possible with automap 3, the user guide was in english and I did not read the right chapter. Automap 4 guide is in french, really easy to use.
Thank you, irrelevance.
And thanks to all guys who tried to help me, we have several way to improve pc keyboard use, here..

[JoPo]

Assigning shortcut to classic Cubase mapping automap works only when Cubase window is active.
But I made it via midi, a bit like with Scope sequencer remote ; and it works whatever is the active window !

I found a little place for the small nocturn...

[irrelevance]

Glad it worked out for you Jopo! Can't understand why Cubase has to be visible to be controlled however? If the key presses or actions are similar to other win programs that might be an issue if the program isn't in focus. Any reason why cubase window cannot be active?

[JoPo]

Well, I just set up the shortcut to nocturn via automap and Cubase didn't start to play when I pressed the button as I was in a another app ! I don't know why. In fact, even when I'm in automap window, cubase won't start !
It is a bit strange because in this mode, automap & cubase are talking each other via automation for mixer, plugins ...etc and it works what ever is the active app. I don't know what kind of information mode is for starting or stoping cubase but I guess automap sends real keyboard shortcut info and if I'm right, we are in the Spacef gamer programmable keyboard case , where the keyboard shortcuts are send to the active app.

It works via midi but if, in cubase, a midi track is active, as automap & cubase are talkind each other via midi note (other midi event would affect some synth settings), I hear a sound from the midi output assigned to the track (just like when you hit your midi keyboard, indeed) . At that point, I don't find the way to make automap sending low velocity note (it sends only 127 velocity notes) or, in cubase, avoiding midi notes just with automap midi input and keep all the rest (like midi controlers, pitch bend ...) The cubase midi filter is global and not settable for just one midi input.

Anyway, I'm glad with this solution !